Towards Proactive Adaptive Vehicle Settings

In recent years, cars are increasingly computerized, where the handling of the vehicle can be changed to accommodate individual needs. One specific feature in current vehicles that can alter the vehicle’s dynamic behavior are driving modes: predetermined vehicle settings that drivers can select by the press of a button. Unfortunately, user...

Driver's risk field: A step towards a unified driver model

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 94-96% of the road accidents involve human error. These statistics make it seem as if humans are terrible drivers. However, a different set of numbers paint a completely different picture. According to the United States Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the failure...

Visual Attention in Human−Machine Interaction

Humans are incapable of attending to everything at the same time. The serial nature of focused attention limits the information intake capacity of the perceptual system. This thesis deals with the measurement and modelling of visual attention distribution. It is examined whether measures of visual attention are predictive of task performance....

Human Factors of Transitions in Automated Driving

In the last decades, advanced driver-assistance systems have contributed to improved road safety. With the recent advance of technology, automotive automation is taking more and more tasks away from the driver. Although automation removes human imprecision and variability, it also introduces out-of-the-loop problems such as complacency, skill...

Cyclists’ hazard anticipation and performance

Two-wheeler vehicles (i.e., bicycles, mopeds, and motorcycles) are becoming increasingly popular in congested cities because of their small dimensions, low cost of use compared to cars, and their contribution to a healthy lifestyle. Even though the use of two-wheelers offers benefits, their low conspicuity, instability, and vulnerability of the...

User Acceptance of Automated Vehicles in Public Transport

The acceptance of automated vehicles is a necessary condition for realizing the benefits of road vehicle automation. The objective of the thesis was to examine the acceptance of automated vehicles feeding public transport. The thesis investigated the factors contributing to user acceptance, as well as the interrelations of those factors. It was...

Human factors of monitoring driving automation: Eyes and Scenes

This PhD thesis document is a collection of several of my published (and submitted) peer review journal articles from underneath the Human Factors of Automated Driving (HF Auto, PITN-GA-2013-605817) seventh framework program (FP7) of the European Commission. The topics include: human factors, automotive road safety, autonomous/automated driving...

Eye movements in manual driving

Driving simulators provide researchers with a flexible, controllable, safe, and economical tool for a range of applications. A pivotal aspect in the application of driving simulators is the development of measures aimed at describing the behavior and performance of the driver and providing knowledge about the way drivers are controlling their...

Auditory feedback for automated driving

Automated driving may be a key to solving a number of problems that humanity faces today: large numbers of fatalities in traffic, traffic congestions, and increased gas emissions. However, unless the car drives itself fully automatically (such a car would not need to have a steering wheel, nor accelerator and brake pedals), the driver needs to...